People

Nikos Kazantzakis - Νίκος Καζαντζάκης

A True Cretan

Nikos Kazantzakis - Νίκος Καζαντζάκης Lived February 18, 1883 – October 26, 1957 was a Cretan writer and philosopher, celebrated for his novel Zorba the Greek, considered his magnum opus. He became known globally after the 1964 release of the Michael Cacoyannis film Zorba the Greek, based on the novel.

The presence of Kazantzakis is everywhere in Crete yet he did not spend much of his adult life there, after becoming a Francophile. The great writer, and a pious Greek leaned towards socialism and was an admirer of Stalin. True to form he wrote the book: "The Last Temptation of Christ". The Greek Orthodox church, not appreciative of his politics and to them his absurd Christian views, excomunicated him and ruled that he could not be buried in a cemetery. As a result he lies in the wall surrounding the city of Heraklion near the Chania Gate. There his epitaph reads Δεν ελπίζω τίποτα. Δε φοβούμαι τίποτα. Είμαι λεύτερος."I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free." Today, much of the spirit of a true Cretan is enshrined in those words.

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The epitaph is often seen in French as a Francophone tribute to Kazantzakis. He loved France (french culture was very much in vogue in Greece at the time) . He adopted France as another home. One of the great ironies of the life of Nikos Kazantzakis is that he nearly won the Nobel prize for literature in 1957. He was separated from that great reward by just one vote. he lost to Albert Camus who later said that the Cretan deserved to win!

The Nikos Kazantzakis name lives on in Heraklion's International Airport named after him. And, until the 2011 regional re-organisation and reform of local government so was a municipality called Nikos Kazantzakis in Central Crete. Now it is part of the larger municipality known as Archanes - Asterousia. What has not changed is that Peza, the seat of the previous municipality is still one of the best wine growing areas of Crete. The 50th anniversary of the death of Nikos Kazantzakis was commemorated with Greece minting the €10 Nikos Kazantzakis coin in 2007. His image is shown in the obverse of the coin, while on the reverse depicts the Greek National Emblem and Kazantzakis' signature.

As an "a propos", unique to Crete, the Ottoman's named Greek families with a distinctive ending for their family name, as in "akis". The English equivalent is son of, belongs to. Only the descendants of Cretan families from the days of the Ottoman Empire carry such name endings. Modern Greeks know a true Cretan by this fact. While today it carries a unique distinction to the Cretans themselves from the rest of Greece, it was despised in earlier eras.

It took a 'home-made' sea water fish tank; one octopus and sheer determination for Scot, John McLaren to realise a dream: To build the first aquarium open to the public in Crete. That he has done, against all the odds. The public aquarium is also Greece's third to be established and receives visitors and interest from all over the world. As John says: Aquaworld is quite simply to encourage interest in marine life. Crete is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, so what better way than to bring the ocean closer to people. It helps us understand and better respect our marine environment." John had witnessed for himself over the years the hidden natural treasures in the depths of Mediterranean from his many hours of snorkelling and scuba diving around the coasts of Crete. He wants others to share in learning more about nature's beauty under the sea.

An interior design team of long standing, Britons - Frank and Mo Brooks from UK, moved to Crete to take advantage of retirement and the cool lifestyle on the Greek island.

By utilising their vast experience in photography and design, they channeled their talents into a new line of income generation for their new home base - producing annual calendars with Cretan themes.

Mo explains: "The idea of calendars came about after our first visit to sun-drenched Crete. When we travelled there we were looking to take a calendar back to Britain with us that captured the exquisite Southern Europe sunlight but found to our dismay there was nothing promoting and depicting the local areas of Crete we visited and have since got to know."